Mark Indelicato is opening up about the “nasty” response to his first onscreen same-sex kiss.
The actor and Real Housewives of New Jersey superfan stopped by the Bravo Clubhouse along with Dolores Catania for Sunday night’s (May 5) episode of Watch What Happens Live, where he recalled the 2010 Ugly Betty scene in which his character Justin kissed his friend Austin.
“I was young. I was 15,” he said. “It was the youngest gay kiss on television ever.”
Indelicato continued, “The legacy of it is incredible but it wasn’t great at the time. I mean, 2010 wasn’t that long ago but it feels like a million years ago. The press was really, really nasty and very rude.”
He added, “Being gay, even in 2010, like out and kissing boys on TV, was surely not something that was ‘palatable’ at the time. So yeah. Not great.”
Indelicato played Justin, Betty’s (America Ferrera) nephew, on Ugly Betty for four seasons between 2006 to 2010. His character was a musical theatre and fashion enthusiast — and while he presented stereotypical gay qualities, the show did not address his sexuality until its fourth and final season.
“At the time, I don’t think that I understood exactly what Justin would mean to so many people and the kind of legacy of the show in opening so many doors for subsequent projects and representation,” Indelicato told People in 2021. “But I think that it took me until I was about 25 to really look back and be like, ‘Oh, wow. I did that. I’m part of a larger kind of story,’ regarding representation, especially among young queer people on television.”
He added, “Because I mean thinking back, 2006 to 2010, it was so taboo to have a young gay kid on TV, for a minor. It’s interesting to see how so much has changed over the last 15 years partially because of Ugly Betty, and I’m really proud of that.”
Watch What Happens Live airs Sunday through Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET on Bravo. New episodes are available to stream the next day on Peacock.
